WASHINGTON, DC – FWD.us President Todd Schulte issued the following statement on the Biden administration’s decision to protect Ukrainian nationals in the U.S. with a Temporary Protected Status (TPS) redesignation:

“The Biden administration’s decision to redesignate and extend TPS for Ukraine is welcome news and a critical step that displays how we can live up to the best of our nation’s values by implementing policies that grant people seeking refuge in our country the legal and humanitarian protection they need to survive. This TPS redesignation will prevent the forceful return of deserving Ukrainian families to war, widespread violence and incredibly dangerous conditions, allowing them to remain in the U.S. and driving important contributions to the U.S. economy and workforce.

“Today’s announcement again makes clear that President Biden can both take these steps to safeguard vulnerable people in need of refuge, and should act decisively for those from other countries. Migrants from some of the most devastating humanitarian crises, armed and political conflicts of our time like Venezuela, where persecution and massive state failures have resulted in over 7 million displaced people, or the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), one of the deadliest conflicts in modern history, clearly meet the statutory requirement for TPS protection and deserve immediate help.

“Everyone will be better off if the Biden administration builds on today’s welcome news, follows the clear statutory definition and announces new TPS designations right away; such designations are essential to move to a more orderly, safe, and humane immigration system.”

Background

Established by the U.S. Congress through the Immigration Act of 1990, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is an incredibly effective legal pathway used by both Democratic and Republican administrations that provides currently undocumented immigrants in the U.S. immediate access to work authorization and deportation protections for 18 months. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has the authority to designate a country for TPS where the country is facing an ongoing armed conflict, an environmental disaster, or an extraordinary and temporary condition.

Currently, in-country conditions in Cameroon, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Nepal, Guatemala, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, South Sudan and Venezuela all meet the statutory requirements for a TPS designation.